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Thursday, 15 May 2008
Binge drinking - part 2
Roses says
When i want to get drunk or make the world bend my way for a bit, i just get a bottle of clear alcoholic liquid and drink it straight. Well sometimes i'd add an ice block to it so it's cooler than room temp. It tastes really bad and it feels really bad but it makes the world bend(1) for a bit. But then straight after for the next few hours i'd drink water and lots of it. Basically, hang overs are yucky. I just had to rehydrate my brain again so as to not get one - a hang over that is.
I consider that to be binge drinking. It's the intention, not the amount that is consumed.
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I think you make a good point Roses, about the intent rather than the volume and I have actually seen that written elsewhere. That binge drinking is defined when the intent of the person is to drink to get drunk.
This raises an interesting point in itself.
If a someone drinks to get drunk what is wrong with that? Of course this is an assumption that underlies the vast majority of government policy on drugs in society.
It is automatically assumed that if a person smokes marijuana then they are somehow ‘sick’. It is assumed that they have some psychological problem and are thus sent to counselling to correct that problem.
Similarly if some one drinks to get drunk then it is also assumed that they have some psychological problem.
There is no doubt that some people takes drugs to self medicate and so forth. Thus there is an ‘underlying’ problem with these people. The vast majority don’t and use drugs recreationally as they say.
So if a young woman drinks a bottle of wine to get drunk in the company of her friends she is defined as a binge drinker. Is that a problem? Does she have a problem?
Again the government and the AMA will tell her she has a problem. But one can argue that she does not. If she wants to get drunk and have a hang over, so be it. If she sees it as OK then again she will see mass media anti drug campaigns will have little effect with her.
Graffiti
09:42 Permalink | Comments (28) | Email this
Comments
Of course she has a problem Graffiti. She is heading down that long slippery road to ADDICTION !! And once she becomes addicted to alcohol, it is only a short hop to other drugs !!
Well, that's what "they" say, isn't it??
I guess that's the road that is mine. I only drink to get pissed. So I am a binge drinker and my next step is other drugs.
I am being sarcastic, just in case anyone thinks I believe this.
Posted by: Madeleine | Thursday, 15 May 2008
Madeleine,
Are you able to define the word Addiction? Not what the dictionary says or any thing/one else - just simply what you think when you hear or refer to the word?
For me, it would seem that if an addiction is a 'habit' or 'something someone has trained themselves to need to do' then am i addicted to brushing my teeth in the morning? I go a little crazy if i don't get to brush my teeth first thing in the morning. If i miss that one thing then my daily routine gets a little antzy and someone may not get brekky or something like that. And if i didn't brush for a day or even longer length of time it would most certainly affect people closest to me.
I don't believe that i'm addicted to tooth brushing though it is something that i find very pleasurable and it is a habit that i don't want to stop.
Curious roses
Posted by: roses | Thursday, 15 May 2008
If Madeleine, i was being a tad 'full on' in that last comment, i do appologize. I'll relax after 6.15pm this arvo. I tend to be a little intense when fear steps into the room i happen to be in. When i was working and managing people i remembered to remind myself that i was dealing with people and not machines. I was much more prepared to be gentle first. It's been a while since those days.
Hope to have a real smile on my face and an authentic giggle in my voice later today. I'll thank you now for your patience.
roses
Posted by: roses | Thursday, 15 May 2008
I guess for me Roses, and addiction is something that you feel totally compelled to do, to the point where you will find ways of doing it, no matter what, even when you know it is bad for you. if you don't do it then you have a strong either physical or emotional reaction which pushes you into doing whatever it is.
Does that make any sense??
and I was being silly with my previous comment, Roses.
Posted by: Madeleine | Thursday, 15 May 2008
As a young woman and a self proclaimed binge-drinker I have a few views on why Australian women are drinking more lately:
1. We are expected to have careers, famillies, amazing sex lives, social awareness, world-knowledge, be well read, have an artistic talent of some sort, hobbies, regular sporting activities, a well balanced diet, a good skin care reigime etc etc etc. We need to get drunk just one night a week so the world bends our way instead of us contorting to it.
2. We are socially isolated, lonely and more likely to be single. Drinking being a social activity is what brings us together to meet our future breading partners.
3. Its fun to release our inhibitions and stop caring for a few hours about living in a world where we are constantly told we are ugly and afraid so that we buy stuff to make us less ugly and afraid.
4. The government and old people tell us we shouldnt, and we all know they are backwards, bitter and lying so of course we must.
Thats my opinion anyways.
Posted by: Nadia | Thursday, 15 May 2008
Hello Nadia,
Thanks for your thoughts. It is always good to hear from a person who is what is being discussed such as a binge drinking young woman.
I like the four reasons you gave
Pressures of expectations
Way to socialize and meet a mate
Disinhibitor and care free
Rebellion
I might use that list later.
Graffiti
Posted by: Graffiti | Thursday, 15 May 2008
I drink most friday evenings so if I leave a comment on a friday night it is most likely one from pissed Kahless.
I drink as a dishinhibitor mainly.
In my 20s I drunk to cleanse my soul sometimes. A bad day, just get drunk and wipe it away! I don't do that now.
Drinking can cleanse the soul!
I also drink because I love the taste of Bacardi - it is so sweet!
A sober Kahless (I don't tend to drink on school nights)
Posted by: kahless | Thursday, 15 May 2008
I will remember that about Friday nights kahless.
In my 20s we used to get drunk mainly for socializing and because it was fun.
Actually I have a good photo for that that I can put on a post.
tony
Posted by: Tony | Thursday, 15 May 2008
I guess it comes down to intent as you say. So at uni when I went out with my mates, if the unsaid outcome was that everyone would be off their trolley by the end of the night, isn't the socialising just the by-product?
Posted by: kahless | Thursday, 15 May 2008
Perhaps one could have two intentions being met at the same time Kahless.
One to socialize and one to get drunk?
Tony
Posted by: Tony | Thursday, 15 May 2008
Ohh - is that 'intentional multitasking'?
roses
Posted by: roses | Thursday, 15 May 2008
Thanks for reminding me it doesn't have to be one or t'other.
Posted by: kahless | Thursday, 15 May 2008
When I first started going to AA, I heard a lot of people say things like "I drank alcoholically from the start-- I drank for effect." And I remember being confused by that. Didn't everybody drink for effect? What's the point of drinking, if not for effect? Who are these people who DON'T drink for effect? Apparently they're normal, social drinkers, and they weren't hanging out with me!
There are so many criteria out there for what constitutes a problem drinker. After years of analyzing that question as it relates to me, as well as the countless alcoholics I've met in AA, what it comes down to (in my opinion) is that if you're wondering whether or not you have a problem with alcohol, you do.
But back to the question of "If a someone drinks to get drunk what is wrong with that?" I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Not a thing. If it works for you, and you're not harming anyone, then more power to you. I wish it worked for me. I would love to escape into a few glasses of wine.
But somewhere along the way that stopped working for me, in the sense that it began to contribute more to my unraveling than to my well-being, in all kinds of ways. Now, I did not accept that over night (I have years and years of journal entries about how I'm definitely going to quit, or change my drinking in some way, starting tomorrow, to prove it!) But eventually I wanted to stop more than I wanted to keep doing it. And that's the first time I really realized the addiction aspect of my problem.
When I was no longer drinking because I chose to drink; when I realized I could not handle life without a drink; when I could no longer lower my standards fast enough to meet me where I was at; when I wanted to NOT drink AS I was pouring booze down my throat; when I realized how lonely I felt in a room full of people; when I realized all my reasons for drinking were bullshit...etc, etc, etc, THAT's when I knew I had a problem, that my security blanket had turned on me.
Anyway, that's just a little about me, a former binge drinker, who wore that title as a badge of honor, who now wears the term 'recovering alcoholic' as a badge of honor.
Posted by: Annabel | Saturday, 17 May 2008
G'day Annabel,
It's great to meet you and hear a bit about your story.
Have a great weekend... Suzi
Posted by: roses | Saturday, 17 May 2008
By the way Annabel, you said...
"... what it comes down to (in my opinion) is that if you're wondering whether or not you have a problem with alcohol, you do."
Really well considered definition of whether one may have a problem with alcohol or not.
roses
Posted by: roses | Saturday, 17 May 2008
Like you Roses,
I have found Annabel to be somewhat of a wordsmith.
Tony
Posted by: Tony | Saturday, 17 May 2008
Hello Annabel,
thank you for your statement about part of your story. Interesting comments about your experience of what constitutes an addiction.
Over the years I have seen drug and alcohol counsellors discuss and debate the AA approach and alternative approaches. I have never really been able to understand the discussions as it seems such a nonsense. If someone can use an AA approach and stay clean for long periods of time then of course it works. Or if someone uses another approach and does not use for the rest of their days then obviously it works.
Perhaps some professionals get into the game of "My theory is bigger than your theory".
We need to make the theories fit the clients and not the other ways around perhaps
Graffiti
Posted by: Graffiti | Saturday, 17 May 2008
Oh Madeleine, you said,
"...addiction is something that you feel totally compelled to do, to the point where you will find ways of doing it, no matter what, even when you know it is bad for you. if you don't do it then you have a strong either physical or emotional reaction which pushes you into doing whatever it is."
That makes sense and it's a great definition. I (periodically) bite my nails. When i don't, its lovely unless you want to play a guitar (grrr). They just SO get in the way! That's when i chew them down (left hand only) but I end up chewing both nails. Its just some how becomes a habit yet its start should be a 'one off' or rare occasion.
When i'm chewing my nails, i don't realise i'm doing it. I don't ever notice that i have my fingers in my mouth. I just sometimes find my self with broken nails in my mouth and a very sore finger (when i've gone beyond the quick). By the way - that's a major OUCH!
When i want to stop, i somehow choose to not do it anymore. It seems as simple as a decision, but it probably isn't. Once that decision is made, i don't realise that i'm 'not' biting them anymore. It's when they're long and need tending that i get my nail care stuff out again. Its a pleasure to bite my nails. Like when someone is playing with my hair, it's just... well really nice or something.
But nail biting probably isn't classed as an addiction.
But fitness? I'm a sloth at fitness. It would seem that there is something that gets in the way of getting physical again. I don't understand why - being active was such a natural thing for me. I'm going to have to work on that one i think - mentally and physically. I'm so darned strong willed! Bumma!
roses
Posted by: roses | Sunday, 18 May 2008
While I don't have any hands-on experience in any other recovery program (besides the DIY method, which is crap) I've read a bit about some of them and often wonder if there's any significant difference in recovery rates from one to the next. And how would one define recovery? Is it enough to simply stop drinking? Personally, I believe the actual act of drinking is merely the tip of the iceberg, as far as what's the matter with alcoholics. AA believes that to...otherwise there would only be one step: put down the bottle!
Regardless, the odds are stacked high against sobriety for any true alcoholic. I've often tried to figure out why some recover while others don't. What do the ones who recover have in common? All I can come up with is that they WANT to get sober. It seems to have nothing to do with NEEDING to get sober. If everyone who needed to get sober did so, the bars (and beer gardens) would be in big trouble, and we would have to start holding AA meetings inside stadiums! No, it's definitely the ones who are desperate enough to want to get sober, more than they want to drink, and who are therefore willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen, who are able to recover.
Posted by: Annabel | Sunday, 18 May 2008
Nail biting is a classic anxiety symptom Roses
Tony
Posted by: Tony | Monday, 19 May 2008
Annabel,
You are asking some questions that have been debated in drug and alcohol circles since time began. Such as why do some alcoholics recover and others do not. How does on define recovery and so forth.
The other problem is health and law and order are such political issues that illicit drug research and health campaigns are politically influenced and you can thus get little agreement on this and that. My comments on binge drinking are a classic example.
Graffiti
Posted by: Graffiti | Monday, 19 May 2008
Tony? Says who?
I've always bitten my nails. I don't have to be frighened to bite them. And i'm not frightened of biting them either.
My sister used to bite her toe nails. She used to look so cute sitting there with her toes in her mouth. Didn't seem strange at all back then.
They are not really very nice habits though.
roses
Posted by: roses | Monday, 19 May 2008
Hi,
My name is Kahless,
And I bite my (finger) nails.
:-)
Roses, I reckon it is anxiety related; otherwise why do it?
Posted by: Kahless | Tuesday, 20 May 2008
I think the same Kahless, but i'd like to know why we think that. Who put that belief into our heads? Is there any realness to that belief? Just like all the other stuff that's in my head... where did it all come from and why do i believe it with out question?
No wonder the world's gone to crud.
Are we just a bunch of spoon fed, mindless bio-machines that fall in line, every time?
Geez! Perhaps.
roses
Posted by: roses | Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Roses,
Lol!
I am comfortable that neither of us are mindless.
My view is one of fact (adult) as I observe I bite my nails when I am anxious at football matches (will my team win?) And when I drive and am turning life over in my mind.
Besides I also have other anxiety related things too. (Like my Crohns)
But you know what, I don't give a shit that I bite my nails. It just is. If I gave myself a hard time then that would reflect others programming? Then I would be spouting spoonfed views.
So what we bite our nails - it does not define us.
Posted by: kahless | Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Wow. I find myself, when challenged with something like a footie match, still as a stone. I don't think i even blink. I'm so into and exciting moment that i can't function on anything else but that. Sometimes though - i'll yell like the high heavens then freeze again. I noticed what i did one day when i kind of 'woke up' and realised everyone was trying to get my attention. So bazzar!
That's when i realised that i hadn't been breathing, blinking or anything. How do you function enough to bite your nails! I think that's marvelous! You must be an amazing person to beable to do that.
I think when i'm anxious I've noticed that everything turns into slow motion and i can't push time to keep up with me. I wonder does that make any sense? Doesn' t matter really i guess. I think you're lovely and i'm so glad you got a hair cut.
Cheers mate... roses
Posted by: roses | Tuesday, 20 May 2008
At footie matches I sing and chant a lot which is a culture here. A bad football match is a silent one. Its about singing your heart out for the boys. Big big match tomorrow night. The final of the biggest european competition and my team are in the final in Moscow. So tomorrow night I will be dead anxious. That adds to the elation of winning.
Posted by: kahless | Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Geez! I hope your team wins then!
Actually i have heard the singing when watching telly - various footie matches in the world. I don't know if that happens here. I don't watch footie live - did plenty of that when the boys (sons) were playing, but they go to the game when it's in Canberra. Rugby league that is. I get the night all to myself - so lovely!
Moscow - that place has an amazing past, present and future! Wow.
Isn't it amazing that we can chat and say g'day while you're way over there and i'm way over... well, there (points in the other direction) but when we meet here, it's like we're here together just chatting and stuff?
It's like an illusion or something. So weird! Nice trick though.
Happy day to you mate - hope your team wins, or even better, proves to be the better in sportsman-ship.
Cheers... roses
Posted by: roses | Wednesday, 21 May 2008